A 16-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to preparing a terrorist act after becoming radicalised online and using ChatGPT and Telegram to plan the attack.
The teen, known under the pseudonym RK due to his age, was 14 at the time of planning the act. He used artificial intelligence and social media to plan a potential terror attack in Sydney, Australia, in 2024.
Radicalisation and Planning
Speaking in court, Justice Stephen Campbell described the teen's radicalisation: "Initially, he was looking at historical content that may have had a political theme. He saw videos about the crusaders and 'their empires'." The judge added: "He progressed to videos about the events of September 11, 2001 and the resulting war on terror (and the wars after that)."
Campbell said the teen then progressed to watching religious-themed videos which "led him to other content of increasing violence." This led the boy to start chatting about these violent subjects with others on the internet.
Targeting Sydney Opera House
The teen stated in court that he had become focused on targeting the Sydney Opera House for an act of terror. He said he was "brainwashed by propaganda" and had begun looking up bomb-making videos on YouTube.
However, Justice Campbell noted the boy had no concrete plans for committing a terrorist act and was not in possession of any material for bomb-making.
Use of AI and Social Media
RK used the social media site Telegram to look for instructions on how to make a pressure cooker bomb. He also attempted to contact Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev via email, but did not establish contact.
The judge stated: "Exhibiting what appears to me to be a complete lack of understanding of the import of his conduct, the young person emailed the prison, using a publicly available email address, asking whether he could email Tsarnaev."
RK asked the AI model ChatGPT about security arrangements at the Sydney Opera House, and used the model to search where the Sydney marathon finishes and where terrorists were imprisoned in NSW. He also researched where targets of a potential attack dubbed "infidels" gathered, including gay nightclubs.
Sentencing and Remorse
During the hearing, the judge said the 16-year-old has since expressed remorse for his actions. Campbell said the teen has undergone six sessions of religious and ethical training from a Muslim cleric.
Campbell stated: "I am satisfied that he has genuinely renounced his adherence to Islamic violent extremism, which in any event was incipient and hesitant during the short period of his offending."
The teen has avoided jail time, as the New South Wales supreme court hit him with a three-year community corrections order.
